The mother of a Las Vegas teen who was beaten to death by bullies calls out district attorney for plea deal
The mother of the Las Vegas teen beaten to death by a gang of bullies last year furiously criticized the county’s district attorney for allowing her son’s alleged killers to avoid prosecution as adults. Mellisa Ready was shocked to learn that a plea deal had been accepted, ensuring that the four teens charged with the death of her son, Jonathan Lewis, would not face adult prison time, as reported by 8 News Now.
“There is no justice for my son Jonathan Lewis, that was stomped to death and murdered while 20 people stood there and did nothing more than film it and broadcast it to social media,” Ready expressed her frustration to the outlet.
The teens, Damien Hernandez, Dontral Beaver, Gianni Robinson, and Treavion Randolph, were charged with second-degree murder in connection to Lewis’ death, but the plea deal allows them to plead guilty as juveniles to manslaughter.
“We were able to evaluate all the evidence as a whole and reach this mutually beneficial negotiation,” said Robert Draskovich, the attorney for Gianni Robinson, to 8 News Now.
Jonathan Lewis, a student at Rancho High School, was brutally beaten by a group of students in an alley near his school and succumbed to blunt force trauma six days later in the hospital.
The incident occurred following a fight over wireless headphones, with Lewis being attacked by multiple teens, as captured in cell phone videos. The police described the viral attack as “very void of humanity.”
The teens initially claimed self-defense, stating that Lewis had thrown the first punch. However, Lewis’ mother firmly believes that they should be held accountable as adults for their actions.
Despite the plea deal, Ready was not informed of the hearing and expressed her disagreement with the decision, believing that the teens should face consequences as adults for taking her son’s life.
“They knew that when they were stomping on my child’s head. That he was going to die as a result,” she said. “They are letting them get away with murdering my child.”
Additional teens involved in the case have pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the juvenile court system, while one is awaiting sentencing, according to 8 News Now.
